Where to stay between Anchorage and Denali, and in/near Denali?
 

Hi everyone,

We arrive late in Anchorage from our trip to Brooks Camp. Having a 5 y/o, it would be too much to try to make to Denali on that evening, but we don't want to stay in Anchorage either.
What would be a good place to stay half way to Denali?

We are bringing our camping gear, so in Denali we have options to camp or stay in a cabin/hotel/hostel. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Full disclosure: I haven't stayed there (we took the train from Anchorage to Denali), but people in AK tell me Talkeetna is a good place to stop -- good variety of accommodations and about halfway to Denali.

Talkeetna is a great place to stop. It's a tiny little town but very cute, with a few shops and restaurants, and is just about midway between the two places. it was the inspiration for the TV series, "Northern Exposure".

I spent one night there, coming from Denali to Anchorage, and wished I had planned on two nights.

If you're lucky with the weather, you'll have spectacular views of Mt. McKinley. There's a variety of outdoor activities, including flightseeing and rafting, and you might get a chance to see the Northern Lights.

In Denali, I liked the Denali Cabins - NOT the Denali River Cabins - which were a few miles from the entrance to the park. The cabins were spacious, comfortable and overall very pleasant, with two restaurants in walking distance, and there was a shuttle to and from the Visitors Center.

Since you are arriving late into Anchorage, why don't you try to get a room in a B&B, pick up some groceries for Denali and then leave early the next morning.

Have you checked for availability at the Tek Campground in Denali? The best part about staying there is the Tek shuttle pass. I have not stayed there but have read trip reports.

There is also a campground north of Anchorage--Eagle River Campground, that gets good reviews

We arrived in Anchorage late in the day after a long flight. We spent the night at Lake Lucille B & B in Wasilla. It was very nice. We then went to Wal-Mart in Wasilla the next day before heading north.

Thank you so much everyone, this is very helpful!

There is the Hatcher Pass B & B in Palmer which I have personally stayed in and it was cheap, clean and very cute:
http://www.hatcherpassbb.com/

There is also the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge which is actually very nice indeed, but more expensive.

Or..the Talkeetna Chalet B&B: http://www.talkeetnachalet.net/

Cheers,
Tracey
www.dreamhorsemedia.com/travel

I also vote for Talkneetka - such a cute town- we happened to be there on Jul 4 so lots going on.
We went on a river float while we were there- it was pretty tame- would choose something a little wilder next time.

I was on a cruise/land package so hotel was chosen by cruise line and was a bit outside of town -had shuttle into town or it was walkable. I cannot think of hotel name- will see it I can come up with it- but it did have great views of the mountain.

In Talkneetka it is interesting to visit the ranger station- they monitor the activity on the mountain - when we were there, a rescue was being planned for for someone having a heart attack up there. There is a lot of interesting area info available there.

Line to where we stayed in Talkeentna

http://www.talkeetnalodge.com

Hi there,
we stayed at a great B&B in Healy.
I will try to locate the name. It had fantastic views and was very comfortable.
Donna